Not to dig up bones..... but something here just isn't right. If you failed your instrument ride, why not mention it? A single failed ride is not a big deal unless there is there a larger story that would DQ you for other reasons?

Anyway, if you have other contacts in the industry I would start by asking a trusted CP, DO or HR person how to handle your situation and how to spin it in your next interview. I didn't say lie about it in your next interview, just try to spin it in a positive manner.

You might also ask if a trusted sources can run a PRIA for you so that you can find what is on your record. Another option would be to contact HR at Compass and ask for a copy of your records.

Also I agree that if you never drew a paycheck and did not have an employee number, then you may not have been officially employed.

Rule of thumb, never lie to HR or the Chief Pilot.

Well I thought I put it on the application, I had been filling out several. Yes I should have closely reviewed it but hindsight is 20/20. Wasn't trying to hide anything. Thats what is kind of annoying about this everyone seems to assume I was.

Just out of curiosity, what makes you say this. Is it because he was terminated in general or was it because it was due to failure to disclose a checkride failure. Obviously failure to disclose/dishonest application issues are pretty serious but would you consider it more damning than being terminated for training deficiency, etc.

My point is that whether or not your omission was intentional, and I'll assume it wasn't since that is what you said, these applications must be filled out accurately. This is even more important in a post Colgan 3407 world due to the fact that most records indicate that the Captain wasn't completely accurate on his application there.

You were hired by Compass and you accepted employment by Compass. You will receive a W-2 and report the income to the IRS. The record is there and it should be reflected on future job applications.

Fill out these applications as if they were going to be reviewed in court. Take your time and fill them out as carefully and accurately as possible.

I think you are a little confused, PRIA requests will not report check ride failures. Those are reported by you and any previous employer. The FAA portion of the PRIA only reports enforcement actions, go to the FAA web site and read ALL the documents on the Act.

As for reporting you worked for Compass, the answer is YES. The only thing I would be curious about is how Compass found out that you failed to disclose the failure, not that it is relevant if you did not on the application, but nonetheless it would be interesting to find out.

Here is a little blurb from the act:

"Disclosure. The FAA expects a pilot applicant to disclose all pilot testing failures to any potential aviation employer."

I can assure you that you will only succeed in this business if you answer everything 100% truthfully. Everyone makes mistakes, fails check rides or has a blemish. If you worry about trying to only submit things that you feel are discoverable then you should look for other work. PRIA is not the main issue, it is simply a backdrop to them verifying your application. Applications go way deeper than any PRIA act request.

Fess up, Compass will report the reason for termination, if you explain it to a potential new employer eventually you will get a break, it will not be easy but it does happen.

IMO it would be better to be terminated for training failure, especially if you are low time and have no 121 experience. About ten percent of first-time 121 trainees don't make it, and everybody knows that can be due to aptitude, lack of experience, lack of effort, bad luck, bad instructor, personal distractions, etc.

Except for aptitude, all of that stuff can be fixed and I have known several pilots who failed their first 121 training and got hired elsewhere later.

They are less likely to forgive dishonesty, since that is a fundamental character flaw and can be rather dangerous in aviation. It's easy to believe that most causes of training failure can be fixed...it's a little hard to swallow that a dishonest person just did a 180 on a dime...more likely he's just saying what he thinks you want to hear.

With that said, he might still recover from this, but it will take time to build up a record of credibility (hopefully he was young when it happened).

While airlines do not automatically get checkride failure info with their PRIA report, there is a way for them to obtain that, I think they do a FOIA request or something like that...anybody, including employers, has a right to access most public records. Actually I think the new regs will change this in response to the Colgan/Renslow scenario.

They could also probably spot it by doing a detailed review of his logbooks. A failed checkride might not be annotated as such, but the logbook entry would sure look suspicious.

You're Under Oath Son
 

By getting a company issued ID card and receiving compensation, no matter how little, I can't help but think that is "employment" no matter how one defines it. In my opinion, you have to include Compass in "past employment" listings.

As someone who was involved in pilot hiring for years, I cannot over emphasize the advice of "being honest" in ANY employment application and always being forthcoming during an interview. I know many pilots who got hired because they disclosed every little transgression (there were several in each case) and just as many who never made it to the final interview because a "descrepancy" was discovered in the application process.

G'Luck Mate...you're under oath now tell the truth.:)

If I were the OP I would have told Compass that I didn't take an instrument checkride....the FAA just gave it to me. Then they would of checked your references and saw that you know T.M either by friendship/family.

Anytime you receive a paycheck it generates a paper-trail. When that happens you must list it as previous employment. If you don't and it is discovered (and it will be) then the same thing will happen all over again - you'll be terminated for "lying" on your application.
I'm sorry this happened to you - failed checkrides are simply not a deal breaker if disclosed and discussed in the interview.